This invention relates to coin handling in payout apparatus such as slot machines or similar gaming or amusement devices and in particular to a secure ejecting device for such apparatus which prevents coins from being stolen from the apparatus.
Gaming devices often use an elongated duct to transfer coins from a payout hopper to a coin tray, such as when the coin tray is elevated from the hopper. In one such design, coins are pushed through the duct by the hopper and out an outlet slot at the end of the duct into a payout tray. A pin with a roller which is held in place by a spring prevents the coin nearest the slot from going through the outlet slot until pressure is applied to the roller by an upwardly moving column of coins during a payout. When a coin pushes against the roller, the spring stretches and the roller moves, allowing the coin to exit. As a coin exits, the spring pulls the roller back into a position to block the next coin while imparting velocity to the exiting coin. A drawback of this mechanism is that coins can be stolen by inserting a paper clip or other device into the outlet slot and pushing the roller back while "fishing" out a coin.
In certain gaming devices of the type described above, a counter is placed on the payout hopper near where the hopper connects to the elongated duct to count the correct number of coins during a payout. Because of the varying diameters of tokens used by various casinos, the stack height of coins in the elongated duct between the counter and the outlet slot of the duct could vary by as much as 1/4 inch or more. This variation can result in counting errors and thus overpays or underpays during a coin payout.